Science communication in the spotlight at VSB-TUO

Communication of science was the main topic of two events organised this week for the academic community and other staff of VSB-TUO, U!REKA's partner in the Czech Republic.

In particular, PhD students were introduced to the ways and forms of communication in the PhD Academy within a two-day course, during which they also practiced how to speak into a microphone or in front of a TV camera. Participants learnt about how to engage different audiences and increase the impact of their scientific work in two workshops led by Sam Illingworth, a world-leading expert in science communication from Edinburgh Napier University, U!REKA's partner based in Scotland.

Why is science communication important, what form can it take and many other questions were answered by lecturer Tereza Mašínová, who has been involved in several popularisation projects, such as Science Café, and in 2017 she won the national round of the stand-up competition for scientists FameLab.

"Science is all around us. Even though we may not be aware of it in our daily lives, we encounter it at every turn. No one is an expert at everything, so we have to rely on the opinions and knowledge of experts who should be able to effectively communicate their findings to the public, politicians or company representatives. Such scientists, or those who will be able to effectively advise researchers "how to do it" and help them explain complex topics, will not be lost in the coming years," said Mašínová.